An aircraft cockpit typically must accommodate pilots who can vary widely from one another in size and body structure. Differences in pilots' bodily dimensions can make it difficult to design a cockpit that accommodates all pilots in all cockpit areas. For example, for military aircraft, it can be difficult to design a cockpit that provides adequate access by smaller pilots to aircraft controls without compromising an ejection clearance provided for larger pilots. A cockpit design must also provide adequate seat elevation for shorter pilots so that they have visual access to a head up display (HUD) eye box.
Traditionally, cockpits have been designed based on estimates of fit by the pilot population within a number of percentile ranges, e.g. between third and ninety-eighth percentiles, calculated for a number of bodily dimensions. Percentiles, however, are univariate (one-variable) statistics. The percentile approach has failed to account for pilots having varying combinations of anthropometric dimensions, for example, having long legs in combination with a short torso. Additionally, accommodation analysis, regardless of the statistical method used, entails numerous calculations that are complex and time consuming.
It would be desirable to provide an interactive system that allows a designer to display a cockpit design, evaluate quickly and automatically whether the design accommodates a desired percentage of pilots, and modify the design accordingly to achieve the desired percentage accommodation. Moreover, it would be desirable to provide such a system that would be adaptable for use by designers of other environments and body-accommodating systems such as automobile passenger compartments, work areas and sporting equipment.